In the late '80s, the
Mike Stock
/
Matt Aitken
Pete Waterman
team was as important to European
dance-pop
as
Giorgio Moroder
and
Pete Bellotte
had been to
Euro-disco
in the late '70s. Many
pop
critics hated
Stock
Aitken
Waterman
's slick, high-gloss approach with a passion, but what critics like and what the public buys are often two different things -- and the British team had the Midas touch when it came to
Dead or Alive
,
Samantha Fox
Rick Astley
, and other '80s favorites. So, for
Donna Summer
, working with them was a logical decision when, in 1989, she made a temporary return to a
Euro-dance-pop
setting. Produced, written, and arranged by
Stock, Aitken & Waterman
, 1989's
Another Place and Time
is arguably
Summer
's most European-sounding release since the late '70s. This CD came 14 years after the erotic
"Love to Love You, Baby,"
and from a
Euro-dance
perspective (as opposed to a Top 40,
adult contemporary
or
urban contemporary
perspective),
Another Place & Time
is one of the best albums that
provided in the '80s. Critics can hate
all they want, but the team certainly does right by
on exuberant, club-friendly
Hi-NRG
gems like
"Whatever Your Heart Desires,"
"I Don't Wanna Get Hurt,"
and the hit
"This Time I Know It's for Real."
Not all of the songs are aimed at the dancefloor, but 90 percent of the time, this album is unapologetically dance-oriented. Contrary to popular wisdom,
disco
didn't really die with the '70s --
simply went high-tech and changed its name to
in the '80s, and it isn't hard to see the parallels between this release and
's work with
Moroder
Bellotte
in the mid- to late '70s.
is an excellent CD that
's fans should not overlook. ~ Alex Henderson